


Perspective

by starcut_sand



Category: Young Justice (Cartoon), Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, I'm not sure you could even call it a reference?, Set early season one, be safe my sweet readers, but just in case, but like, minor references to child abuse, my girl is struggling, oh before i forget, only the most minor of references, there are like
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-27
Updated: 2018-05-27
Packaged: 2019-05-14 13:15:54
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14770319
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starcut_sand/pseuds/starcut_sand
Summary: It was four in the morning when Artemis crawled through her bedroom window, wearing a dirty uniform and carrying a bow that felt heavier than usual.





	Perspective

It was four in the morning when Artemis crawled through her bedroom window, wearing a dirty uniform and carrying a bow that felt heavier than usual. The sounds of cars in the distance, coupled with a distant ambulance siren, cut off as she slid the window closed and turned to face the stillness of her room.

The bedside lamp was left on, something her mom had taken to doing so that she wouldn’t have to come home to a dark room. On one side of the room, Jade’s bed was perfectly made, undisturbed since the night she had left. Artemis’s bed was in stark contrast- the covers were thrown to one side, and it had books and papers scattered across it from the homework she’d been doing before she’d gotten called to the mountain for a mission.

Wearily, she folded up her bow. It slid neatly under her bed, into a shadowy corner where it lay hidden under cover of darkness. With that done, she toed off her boots and pulled off the socks she wore beneath that. Barefoot, carrying her with one hand, she walked as lightly as she could towards the bedroom door and pulled it open slowly, flinching when it creaked. She counted to ten in her head, and when she didn’t hear any stirring from her mom’s room, she squeezed through the crack and tiptoed out into the living room. It was dark, but she could see the outlines of the furniture. On the coffee table, a glass glinted in the moonlight streaming in from the kitchen window. Oops. She’d forgotten to put that away.

It was dead silent, and every move she made seemed like a betrayal to the stillness of the room. In quick, quiet strides, she made her way into the bathroom. She made sure to shut the door before turning on the light, so that it wouldn’t spill into the living room. Once the light was on she studied herself in the mirror.

Her hair was a mess. It was falling out of her ponytail, and there was dirt in it from when she had gotten thrown to the ground in the fight. Her cowl was hot and uncomfortable. Her skin had a layer of sweat and dirt, along with a fresh cut that she hadn’t noticed before on her arm.

She tugged the cowl off unceremoniously and pulled her hair out of its ponytail. It fell around her shoulders and down her back in a tangled, dirty mess. There was a brush in the cabinet beneath the sink that she tugged sharply through her hair as she turned on the water.

The brush in the cabinet thing was a recent development. Ever since her mom had gotten out of jail and kicked her dad out of their apartment. She wouldn’t have dared to keep something like that out in the open of the bathroom- it had gone underneath her bed, next to where her bow was now in a box filled with her own personal hygiene equipment. Keeping all her personals as close to her as she could, keeping her own space held tight against her chest, was something she’d done since she was… eight? Nine? It had been just a little before Jade had left and a little after her mom had left that she’d started. Jade had pulled her by the arm into their room and locked the door as a precaution. She’d sat Artemis down, shown her the ways to pack things tightly into containers and how to open the latch on the window. She’d told her to always have food in her room, just in case, and to hide her weapons well, but in a easy-to-reach place.

Once her mom had come back, she’d started spreading. Her hairbrush in the bathroom, backpack on the couch. She went over her gear in the living room instead of in her bedroom. She still kept things close to her- her Artemis costume and her bow went under her bed where her mom couldn’t reach them, and her hairbrush was still hidden in the cabinet- but it was a step up from what she was used to when her dad was around.

She yanked a last knot out of her hair and checked the water. It was a good temperature, so she turned on the showerhead and stepped in, leaving her dirty uniform in a heap on the cold bathroom floor. The hot water on her skin felt good, but it didn’t get rid of the aching exhaustion in her bones that she always felt after long missions. She’d probably be sore tomorrow. Today? Whatever.

As the hot water relaxed her, the exhaustion of the night caught up to her. It had been the usual team mission- covert in name, but not really at all. They’d all gotten kicked around a little- Robin kept ghosting his hand over his ribs and hiding a wince, and M’gann was pretty exhausted from being caught near an explosion whose fire had weakened her significantly. Still, they’d been successful in the end.

_We always are,_ Artemis thought fondly as she applied shampoo to her hair absently. She really did love the team. She’d come to see M’gann as a sister, and Kaldur, Conner and Robin as brothers. Wally… she’d admitted to herself a while ago that she had a crush on him. A lot of the time, they were arguing, but they weren’t the cutting, hurtful arguments they’d done at the beginning. Now it was more friendly teasing than anything. Yeah, he could be insensitive and egotistical sometimes, but whenever he wasn’t, he was really... sincere. And, dare she say it, sweet. He cared a lot about his friends, he just didn’t show it for some reason.

Well. She couldn’t really fault him for that without being a major hypocrite.

The point was, she loved her team. Even though she’d only known them for a couple months, they were the closest friends she’d had in her life. Everything about the team, their friendship, the work they did- it was all so… sincere. They were all there because they were genuinely good people. They were the good guys, trying to make a difference and help people. It was a breath of fresh air from what she was used to- manipulation and lying and ‘every girl for herself.’ Not that she could tell them that without her secret being revealed.

She was done washing her hair. She could have gotten out, but instead she stood under the shower a couple moments longer, letting the water beat down on her and staring into space.

Telling the team.

It had been on her mind since the start (how could it not be?), and the urge to come clean only grew with each day she was with them. How many times had she been about to say something, to ask a question about what normal parents did, or tell M’gann something earth sisters did that she remembered from when she was little, before catching herself and clicking her mouth shut? Sometimes she wondered whether it would hurt less to put it out there. Just tell them everything.

But then the feeling of alienation passed, and they were together, all the same. Laughing at a joke or trying M’gann’s cookies or something else, and she would look at their faces. Every time, she would think, _not today._

She never told herself _not ever_. She knew she would see right through the lie.

Abruptly, she turned off the water and yanked open the shower curtain. She felt the cold air wash over her and she yanked a towel off the rack to quickly wrap around herself, shivering.

She pulled her hair around to one side and quickly wrung it out. One of the things she liked least about long hair was how long it took to dry. Her hair would probably still be wet when she went to school this morning. _Ugh, school_. School was not going to be fun running on no sleep. She grabbed a second towel to wrap her hair up in.

Her mom was going to be mad that she was using up all the towels. Oh well.

Speaking of her mom…

Quietly, she crossed to the door and cracked it open. She could see a light spilling from the kitchen. She listened closely, and after a second, heard a clink, like a cup being put down on a table.

She didn’t bother with sneaking this time as she crossed the living room. Paula looked up at the creak of the floor, and Artemis slowed. She had been right- her mom was drinking tea in the kitchen.

“Hey,” Artemis said, her voice quiet.

“Oh, Artemis. How was the mission?”

“Uh. It was pretty good. I mean, I’m probably gonna be sore now, but we got the stuff we needed.” Here she paused. “Did I wake you up?”

“I heard the shower running,” her mom said. “Don’t worry, it’s practically morning anyway. Are you going to bed?” They were both talking in hushed voices.

Artemis glanced at the clock in the kitchen- four forty-seven. “Not much point. I have to get up for school in like an hour anyway.”

“Do you want tea?”

“Let me get dressed first.” Artemis crossed the rest of the way to disappear into her room.

She emerged a couple minutes later, wearing her Gotham Academy uniform, sans shoes. Her socks made her feet silent on the kitchen’s tile floor. She took the mug that was offered her, sitting at the table across from her mom. Paula leaned forward.

“So. Tell me about the mission.”

Artemis resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her mom always asked this, but Artemis never complained. She figured that it probably felt good to know all the good her daughter was doing, despite being raised by two villians. It seemed to ease the guilt that often crossed her mother’s face. Besides, Artemis liked talking to her about the team. She was a good listener, and sometimes gave good advice.

“It was okay. We were just going in to get intel. Nothing super serious.” The _but_ lingered in the air as Artemis took a sip of tea.

“And then Wally?”

Artemis snorted. “Actually, no. For once. Wally did fine.”

Paula raised her eyebrows knowingly and sipped her tea. Artemis gave her a flat look.

“ _Anyway..._ ” She said, “No, it was actually Robin.”

Paula looked faintly surprised. “I thought he never messed up.”

“Yeah, it was surprising. He seemed pretty upset by it.” Artemis stirred her tea and watched the steam waft up from the cup. “He’s too hard on himself sometimes.”

Paula hummed. “I’d imagine it would be hard to live up to a legend like Batman.”

“Yeah, I guess,” Artemis said. “But still. He beats himself up too much about it.”

There was a lull in the conversation at that. Paula seemed thoughtful, and Artemis sipped her tea.

“What does he think of Wally?”

“What?”

“Wally. From what you’ve told me, he doesn’t take himself very seriously.”

“No, he does, it’s just…” Artemis trailed off, turning over the thoughts in her mind. She tapped her finger against her mug, trying to come up with the right words.

“He takes himself seriously in a different… way. I don’t know. I guess they balance each other out that way.”

“And that’s why they’re best friends.”

“Yeah, for life.” She smiled into her mug as she raised it to take a sip. “Wally’s the one who can get him to see things in perspective. I guess… he’s good at that.”

“He sees things in perspective?”

“Yeah. I mean, not for himself. He’s pretty dramatic for himself. But he helps out the others that way.”

“I know someone who could use that kind of help.” Paula’s tone shifted from conversational to something more serious. Great. It was _that_ conversation now. Artemis stared obstinately down at the table.

Paula set down her tea. “They’re your friends, Artemis. They won’t judge you for things that aren’t your fault. You weren’t the one making bad choices.”

“People judge people all the time. I’ve only known them for a couple months.” She was still staring at the table.

“That doesn’t matter!” Paula’s voice was sharp. “They are your _friends_. They trust you. You should trust them.”

“I do trust them,” Artemis said, but she glanced away. Her mom’s gaze was piercing, so instead she looked out the window. The edges of the sky were just starting to fade into a lighter blue.

“I trust them to not pry into stuff that’s my own business. And I trust them to understand that I don’t owe them anything about my private life.” Annoyance leaked into her words, and she clutched her mug too tightly.

Paula didn’t say anything for a long time. Instead, she studied Artemis with a guilty, sad look. She always brought it out when Artemis talked like this, because she felt like she had failed as a parent. Or something.

Artemis brought the mug to her lips, sipping the tea as slowly as she could so she didn’t have to look at her mom. Tension bled into the room, until finally Paula spoke.

“Trust is a two-way street, Artemis.”

Artemis didn’t respond, looking at the table instead of her mom. After a moment, Paula wheeled out from the table, heading towards her room. Artemis stared into her tea for a long moment before getting up and dumping it down the drain. She’d get coffee on the way to school. It would be better to have something like that to get through school, anyway.

It was just. She _knew_ all that already. Her mom didn’t need to tell her that trust was a two-way street. She was well aware, especially with the tip her dad had given Kaldur about the mole. Every time it was brought up, she could feel her secret eating at her insides, burning her up slowly. They were right to not trust her. They were _right._

If she didn’t tell the secret soon, she would burn up from the inside out. She just… _ugh._ She leaned up against the counter, burying her head in her hands.

She needed more time. She would tell them eventually, but she needed to live in this still, silent, peaceful world a bit longer before she would brave the chaos. She wasn’t stupid. She knew it would come to light eventually- for now, though, she was okay with sneaking by in the dark.

She took her head out of her hands.

Outside the window, the sun was rising.

 

**Author's Note:**

> this is my first fic, but I think its okay? and even if it isn't I am so done with it, so take it anyway.  
> also some comments would be appreciated, you know how it is


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